


The One With the Doctor and the Magician

by fieryhotaru



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Animal Ears, Biting, Boots - Freeform, Butt Slapping, Collars, Dildos, Dom!Julian, Drunk Sex, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunkenness, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Hand Jobs, Hotaru is a switch, Humiliation, Japanese Rope Bondage, Leashes, Love, Making Love, Oral Sex, Riding Crops, Rope Bondage, Rough Sex, Sex, Sex Toys, Sexual Content, Slapping, Stepping On, Vaginal Sex, Verbal Humiliation, Whipping, julian is a bottom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2020-08-14 00:20:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20183119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieryhotaru/pseuds/fieryhotaru
Summary: A continuation of the Arcana, Julian and the MC, Hotaru, are building a life together, breaking down barriers and making new friends. Some plot, some porn, all love. Julian/MC My MC's name is Hotaru rated for a reason.





	1. The One With the Hot Spring

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

“Ah, what an amazing day.” Julian shuts the door to our room behind us. 

“Your Grandmas are so lovely.” I say, immediately beginning to take off my clothes. We had just arrived in Nevivon this morning and met Julian and Portia’s quite youthful Grandmas. “I like them a lot.”

“And they like you, Hotaru...” I could feel his eye on me as I removed the beaded sash from my waist, kicked off my sandals and slipped out of my sundress. I don’t usually wear dresses, but I thought it’d be more appropriate for meeting Julian’s family than my usual harem-pant style bedlah. “A… A lot.” I look at him and he blushes, as if this is the first time he’s seeing me almost naked.

“What?” I smile. “Don’t you want to get in the hot spring too? I’m exhausted.”

“Oh, right, right…” He quickly takes off his jacket. “Here, let me set it up.” The spring is right outside the sliding back doors; a big, private bath all to ourselves. I remove my undergarments and grab two towels while Julian opens the doors and peruses the tray of salts, oils and scents. He gasps in delight and picks up one of the salts. “They put this here just for me.”

“What is it?” I place the towels on a chair next to the water.

“My favorite salt: eucalyptus and menthol. Perfect for colds and flus!” He opens it and holds it up to my nose, and I take a big whiff.

“Wow, my sinuses cleared right up!”

“Right?” He smiles, sprinkling some in the bath. He adds sandalwood and coconut, throwing some rose petals on top for appearance. “Your bath is ready. After you, my dear.” He holds out his hand for me to take. I gladly do, stepping carefully into the water. My skin tingles and relaxes from the heat and exotic salts, and the foggy sea air clears from my head.

“Ah…” I sigh and sink right in, wetting my shoulder-length blonde hair and wetting my face with my hands. “It’s perfect.”

“Yeah, you are.” I hear Julian say, mesmerized by me. Ugh, he’s so embarrassing sometimes. Luckily the heat hides the blush forming on my cheeks.

“Oh, just shut up and get in here.” I say. He obeys quickly, stripping nude and rushing into the hot spring, almost slipping. “Careful!” I hold him steady by his arm.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He insists.

“You forgot something.” I reach up, touching his eyepatch gently. “I told you, Julian…” I swiftly remove the eyepatch, exposing his formerly diseased eye. “You don’t have to wear this when it’s just you and me.”

“I-I know, but…”

“It’s not contagious, and it doesn’t bother me.” I cup his handsome, blushing face in my hands. “I love your eyes.”

“Uh… well…” Julian clears his throat. “I do love seeing you twice as well, Hotaru.”

“Hm, that’s more like it.” I rest my head on his chest and wrap my arms around his waist, listening to his quickened heartbeat. He awkwardly returns the affection, embracing me carefully. He’s so weird; he acts like he’s not allowed to touch me, like we’re not even together. But I know he craves to be touched, loved… I just wish he would let himself. Our first time was beautiful, slow, making sure he was careful with me. I loved it, of course, but I told him he didn’t have to be so gentle all the time. I am a warrior, after all. He continues to be whenever we make love. It would be fine if I didn’t know that he was holding back, whether in a submissive position or not. He did say once that he would like to ravish me, well come on and do it.

“Let’s sit down.” He suggests, and we move to the step to sit together, the water up to his chest and my shoulders. I can see the steam rise up clearly from here. I use my magic to warp the steam into fun shapes like hearts, animals and flowers. “Amazing… to think that I’d be in love with a magician when I used to fear magic.”

“What about…” I stopped myself from asking, remembering that’s none of my business.

“Hm?”

“No, never mind.”

“You meant Asra, right?” Julian’s voice darkened. I made him upset.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“That wasn’t love. I mean, I thought that it was one-sided love on my end, but after being with you, and also remembering you from before…” Julian was talking fast and incoherently. He stopped to take a breath and to gather his thoughts. “I know we probably shouldn’t talk about this, but maybe we should.”

“It… it is definitely an elephant in the room.” I agreed. It is awkward to talk about, but we need to get it over with. “So, you decided you didn’t love Asra?”

“Right. Let’s start at the beginning.” Julian takes my hands. “Do you remember meeting me? Do you remember the time we spent together?”

“…” I had been getting my memories back in chunks, and out of order. If I think about it now, maybe… I’m seeing a small clinic, a wrinkly old dog, and a shelf of leeches… Julian, his hair a little shorter, his right eye healthy, and an ambitious look on his face. “Yes!”

“Do you?!” He says, overjoyed. “You had said that it was fate that brought us together that day, even though I didn’t believe in such things at the time…”

“But now you do?”

“Absolutely.” He swoons. “Because fate brought us together again, didn’t it?”

“It sure did.” I smile, thinking of my past with the rowdy doctor. He was a little less rowdy then, since he was so focused on finding a cure. “I argued with Asra that day, about whether or not we should stay in the city. I wanted to stay and help find a cure, but he wanted to run and hide until it all blew over. I… I remember being hurt so much by his choice; a person that I respected so much acting this way... I called him a selfish coward and left the house.”

“Taru…” Julian says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“Then, on my walk, I see a help wanted sign on the door of a clinic, and you show up behind me, carrying a big stack of books, trying to get in.”

“Yes, you helped me into my own office!” He laughed. “I definitely needed an assistant, huh?”

“I remember the place being a wreck!” I laugh, too. “Oh, and when I said I was a magician, you stuck up your nose to me.”

“I did, didn’t I? Sorry.”

“It’s okay. You still hired me.”

“And you took such good care of me, and of Brundle.” Julian frowned. “I didn’t appreciate you enough, took you for granted. I had… complicated feelings about you, Hotaru. I wanted more for us, but it was never the right time with how busy we were and trying to find a cure… I just pushed those feelings down.”

“Julian, I had no idea.” I remember more: a few heavy glances from me to him, a tender, steady hand in my own, a few reassuring hugs… “I felt the same way. It just wasn’t our time yet.”

“Really?” That seemed to make him feel more guilty. “I got a job at the palace, and you were so happy for me. I wasn’t home often, but you took care of things there… that must have been when you got the plague.”

“Yeah.” I downcast my eyes. “I hired someone to take my place tending to your office, and then… I went back to my shop. I tried writing a letter to you and Asra, but I couldn’t find the words. I just… walked to the pier, got on a gondola to the Lazaret and…” My breath hitched and I started tearing up, remembering how scared I was on the boat ride there, feeling my resolve when I stood in front of the fire pit, and then nothingness.

“Oh, Taru, please don’t cry.” Julian holds me close, consoling me while trying not to cry himself.

“A-As I burned… I remember apologizing out loud t-to you, to Asra…” I sniff, wanting to wipe my eyes but my hands were wet.

“No, no… there was no need to apologize to us. We… We both failed you.” Julian clears his throat. “We both missed you, and we both did crazy, ruthless things. I think I regretted not telling you how I felt, not moving fast enough, that I rushed into a physical relationship with Asra, who I found mysterious and attractive. I mistook it for love. He, however, used me in more practical ways: plague knowledge, blood rituals, etcetera…”

“Whoa, whoa, blood rituals?!” I put my hands up.

“Yeah, is it that bad?” Julian looks at me in surprise. He obviously doesn’t know the seriousness of blood magic.

“Blood magic is very dangerous, and it…” I just thought of something. If Asra was using blood magic at the time… “He did it to bring me back.”

“What? Using my blood?”

“Supposedly.” I nod. If Asra used Julian’s blood, then it’s no wonder I felt such a draw to the doctor, even if I didn’t remember him when I met him again. “Anyway, you didn’t fail me, Julian. I don’t think you could if you tried.”

“I’d never try.” He smiles, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

“So you don’t have to be afraid to love me.” I tilt my head to catch his perfect lips. His breath catches in surprise. “Take me, Julian. Ravish me. I love you so much, please…”

“H-Hotaru…” Julian stutters before I kiss him again, adding tongue. He groans heatedly, his tongue diving deep into my mouth. Gaining confidence with the consent, he squeezes my ass, exploring my curves with his steady hands. My tongue dances with his and I rake my fingers through his chest hair. Soon we had to pull apart for air, the humidity of the spring becoming too much for either of us to take. “Let’s… to the bed…” Oh Lord, he was making _that face…_

“Right.” We both try not to slip as we get out. “Here.” I throw him a towel. “So we don’t completely soak the mattress.”

“Uh-huh.” He dried off very quickly, but I still needed to do my hair. He lent his towel to me, lightly patting it through my hair before he let it drop to the ground, pressing up behind me and kissing my neck.

“Uh-oh, I think I broke him.” I say teasingly. He’s not teasing though; he’s already pretty hard and we’ve only just begun. I drop my towel now, turning around to jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and kissing him feverishly. Julian walks us to the bed, carefully placing me down but stayed between my legs, kissing me everywhere, sucking on the skin and leaving marks. “My God, Julian…”

“My love…” He says softly, swiping his thumbs across my nipples. “I love you too, Taru.” He kisses my breasts. “I’ll ravish you, just as you want…”

“Just as you want, too.” I correct him, running my fingers through his auburn hair. He gives me _that fucking look_ again, biting his lip beautifully. “We both want that, Ilya.”

“Yes…” He moaned, kissing me again. He was so hard against my thigh, and I push my hips up to relieve him a little. He practically squealed in my throat, but I couldn’t help but smile. “D-Darling, I’m supposed to ravish you, not the other way around.”

“Well, get to it, then.” I wink at him, gently pushing down on his shoulders.

“Ah, with pleasure.” He licks his lips, moving down my body to my legs, running his hands up and down them. He kisses and sucks at the flesh of my feet, calves and thighs, leaving beautiful marks all over. Finally, his mouth goes between my legs, licking around my labia shamelessly.

“Oh, shit…” I can barely take it as his tongue swipes up my clit. He sucks on it so hard, I white out and moan for more. “Fuck, baby…” He licks up my juices greedily before going back to my sensitive spot, eating me so skillfully. “You’re so good, baby, so… _aahhhh~_…” He presses harder on my clit with his tongue, picking up his rhythm. He pushes a long finger inside me while he does this. I look down at him, his beautiful eyes half-lidded and hair messy around them. His eyes bore into mine, silently telling me to come. He adds a second finger. “Oh, Julian… Julian… _oooo~_!” I come so hard, my toes curling, my thighs shaking, and my eyes rolling to the back of my head. He is way too good at that. I’m jealous of anyone who’s had the pleasure of sleeping with this man. He laps at my fluids and _goddamn_ I’m overstimulated. “Julian… I can’t… I need…”

“What do you need, Taru?” Julian says after one big last lick. “Please tell me.”

“Dammit I need your cock inside me!” I practically shout. “Ravish me with your cock, baby.”

“I will.” He simply says, getting on his knees and yanking me onto his lap. He takes his big cock and positions it at my entrance. “Ready?” His voice was husky.

“So ready.” I say, locking my ankles around his waist. He gulps before pushing the head inside and we both gasp, ignited by each other’s warmth. But I want more already. “All the way, baby.”

“But…”

“Do it.” I demand. He obeys, going all the way in one slow push. We gasp again and he falls forward, planting his hands on the bed beside me.

“_Fuuuck…_” He finally swears, his eyebrows knitted together and clenching his jaw.

“Julian…” I’m panting and reaching for him, clutching his arms. “_Ilya_…” I know exactly when to call him that so he’ll go crazy for me and take us both over the edge. He begins thrusting, curling his hips up into me. “Oh, yes~…”

“My love…” He leans down to kiss and bite my collarbones. “God, you’re so beautiful… you’re so… _mmmph_… so perfect…”

“No… you are… Ilya…” I grasp at everything: his hair, his back, his shoulders, just trying to pull him closer still. To make him go faster, I bite his ear, and he yelps beautifully, grinding into me. “Yes, yes, that’s it…” Now I squeeze around him.

“Haaah!” He freezes when I do that, possibly losing more blood to his brain.

“You like that?” I bite his neck and squeeze harder.

“Hotaru~!” He cries. “If you do that I can’t move.”

“Here.” I loosen up for him. “Find that spot inside me, baby. Make me come.”

“Hotaru…” I can tell he’s definitely lost it now. He pulls me off the bed and into his lap fully, holding me for dear life as he thrusts up into me. His hand presses on my lower back, arching me in just the right way to find my G-spot.

“YAAAH!” I cry, digging my nails into his back. He mewls as I do that and I ride him hard, meeting his thrusts. “Yes, baby…”

“Hotaru!” He says my name over and over, sucking at my neck in between.

“Jul-i-an…!” I bite down on his shoulder as I come, squeezing my eyes shut when I feel him spill inside me.

“NNGH!” Julian plops us down on the bed, the two of us panting and sweating. He tries to pull out but I stop him.

“W-Wait… I just want to feel you some more.” I say quietly, stroking his hair.

“Okay.” He says simply, adjusting himself so he’s more comfortable. “You’re incredible, Hotaru.”

“If I am, it’s because of you.” I tell him. “Because you’re incredible.”

“Oh Hotaru… I don’t deserve you.”

“I guess you do deserve someone better than me.” I smirk.

“No, no, that’s not what I…” I put a finger on his mouth.

“I know what you meant, silly.” I press our foreheads together. “You deserve happiness, Julian. You deserve the world. Don’t say you deserve any less anymore, okay?”

“A-Alright.” He blushes. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I give him a sweet kiss and he happily accepts it. “Now, let’s go take a real bath.”

:::


	2. The One With the Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hotaru learns what she is.

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

When Julian and I get back home, I begin having strange dreams. I flinch in my sleep and wake up in a state of shock. Julian, being a clingy and light sleeper, wakes up because of me. “Ah… Hotaru, what’s wrong?” He asks as he holds me loosely in his arms.

“I uh… had a nightmare… I guess…” I blink, not really sure what happened.

“You guess? What was it about?”

“I don’t remember.” I answer. “Something about… dragons?”

“Dragons, huh? Well, I’m no magical creature expert, but I’m pretty sure they don’t exist in our world.” Julian runs his long fingers through my hair.

“You would be correct.” I say. “Well, I guess it was nothing. I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“You know me, sleep and I don’t seem to agree with each other.”

“We’ll need to fix that.” I snuggle up to him. “Goodnight, Julian.”

“Night, love.” The rest of my night was dreamless.

:::

The next night, I dream again. It was more vivid. I awake in another panic, my limbs stiffening. “Hotaru!” Julian was more awake this time, getting scared by my reaction.

“Oh God… another nightmare.” I stretched, loosening my body.

“With dragons again?” He asked.

“Just one dragon.” I reply. “I was in a grassy field, and she flies down from the sky, takes my hand and throws me forward, then everything goes black yet I’m still falling… then I wake up.”

“Ugh, those falling dreams… they are the worst.” He props his head on his arm, looking down at me to make sure I’m okay. “Do you think it means something?”

“Probably.” I think about it. “If it happens again, then I should look into it.”

“Good idea, darling.” He kisses me sweetly. “Please sleep well for the rest of the night.”

“I will now.” I smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Taru.”

:::

“AH!” The third night was the most vivid dream yet, and I sit straight up in bed in a sweat. I look down at my hands to make sure they’re mine. Julian sits up too, putting his hands around my shoulders.

“Again, Taru?” He rubs little circles in my shoulders with his thumbs.

“Dammit.” I swear, getting tired of this. “Who was that?”

“Was it the dragon?”

“Yes, but… this time I was the dragon!” I explain. “I’m in that field again, looking over a cliff. I hear a dog bark, and I look down to see a cute white dog, but she looks scared and worried, like she’s warning me about something. Then I see my feet and hands, and they’re all scaly. I pat the dog on her head, but she’s still sad. Finally, I jump off the cliff, diving straight down into a black abyss, and the dog is wailing at me…” Now that I say what I dreamt out loud, the whole scenario sounds familiar. And that white dog…

“Hotaru!” Julian sounded confused as I got out of bed, put on my robe and went downstairs to the shop, going through my drawers. “What’s gotten into you… the least you can do is put a light on so you can see what you’re looking for.” He grumbles as he follows me downstairs, grabbing a candle and lighting it with a match. I find what I’m looking for in the back of a drawer: a guide for Tarot reading. Asra had me read this when he was teaching me how to read and understand the magic cards. I remember asking him a question about the Major Arcana, one that he couldn’t answer because at the time I would go catatonic.

“The Fool.” I say, grabbing the cards out of a bejeweled box that I keep behind the counter. I sit at the reading table, beckoning Julian with my hand, and he sits across from me, placing the candle between us. “Where is the Fool?”

“Isn’t that one of the cards?” Julian has no idea what’s going on. He watches me open the guide to the very first page: ‘card 0, The Fool’.

“The Fool stands on a cliff's edge, overlooking the limitless potential of their future.” I read the explanation of the Fool. “She wears a white flower crown representing innocence and purity, and carries a staff with a knapsack at the end, containing the bare necessities. A little white dog barks by her side, warning her of the dangers to come, and to learn from past mistakes.”

“Alright.” Julian says simply.

“But how would anyone know that…” I pick up the first card on the deck, knowing it was the Fool. I showed it to Julian. “If she’s not even there? Where’s the Fool? Where’s the dog?”

“Huh…” He starts understanding, but just a little. “So, the Fool used to be there.”

“Right, but where is she now? But I do think I know where the dog is.” I recall my dream. The dog looked very familiar, with that long, bushy-bearded face and milky-white eyes. “It’s Scout!”

“Scout?” He repeats. “But how? How did Scout’s body change?”

“I don’t know… but I remember something the Magician told me when we were in his realm. He asked me if I recognized Scout, as if I was supposed to know who she was.” I say, my eyes widening with realization. Julian does the same thing.

“You aren’t telling me that…?”

“I’m the Fool. Or rather, I’m using the Fool’s body.” I shake my head in disbelief. “Asra needed a body to bring me back, so he used the Fool’s.”

“That body was actually supposed to be Lucio’s, right?” Julian asks.

“That’s right, but Asra thwarted the ritual. Still, he never told me that he used an Arcana’s form. How is that even possible?”

“Well… you could go ask him. He could take you to the realms again too, to talk to Scout, although she doesn’t talk.”

“Hm… no.” I turn up my nose.

“No?”

“No. I’ll figure this out myself.” I wink at him. “I know how to get to the realms myself, too.” I find a big bucket and fill it with water, purify it, and step in. “Well, come on.” I beckon Julian to get in with me.

“Oh, I’m going, too?” He questions.

“I could really use your help, Julian.” I knew he loved to hear that.

“Oh, well then…” He trips over himself, stumbling to me and taking my hands, and I help him into the bucket. It is an awkward stance for both of us.

“Just hold on, and close your eyes. Release from your physical form.” I chant and our minds dive from our bodies to a starry sky full of worlds. I look for the Fool’s realm, that vast field. “There!” I point to it. Julian holds onto me and we dive down into the realm fast, landing right in the middle of a large, grassy field.

“Whoa!” Julian wobbles. “That… I can never get used to that.”

“It’s really beautiful here.” I gaze at the bright, sunny sky, full of clouds shaped like animals, flowers and other things. The grass is soft beneath my bare feet.

“Yeah, look at that giant tree over there.” He points to it. It’s far away, and the only tree in sight.

“Let’s go to it. I feel something in that direction.” I say, about to walk towards it when I feel Julian pull me back.

“Watch it!” He says, holding onto me for dear life.

“What?” I look down and gasp. When did that huge cliff get there? I could have sworn it wasn’t there before.

“Here, we can get down over here.” He takes my hand and we walk down the sloped hill carefully, watching my step. We finally get down, back to flat ground. “Okay, now we can go.”

“Right.” I take another step, focusing on the tree again.

“No!” Julian stops me again. Another cliff formed beneath my foot.

“What the hell?” I ask angrily.

“Isn’t there a cliff in the picture on the card?” Julian asks.

“Oh, you’re right.” I smile at him, also thinking of the description of the card. “Maybe the cliff appears because I’m not watching where I’m going.”

“So does that mean you need to watch every single step you take?”

“Sounds about right.” I take his hand again and look down at my feet. “Would you be my eyes, Julian?”

“Of course, darling. Let me be your guide!” He leads the way and I follow, slowly at first, making sure my assumption is correct. No cliffs form under me, so we’re doing well so far. It’s annoying to walk like this, though. “Do you still feel something from this way?”

“Yes, it’s definitely the tree.” I say, not looking up at him. “We’re close, aren’t we?”

“Just a few more yards.” He says, leading me there until I walk over some huge roots. I touch the trunk with my hands, deciding to look up at its magnificence. It was such a healthy tree with the greenest leaves. Some branches had these marble-sized seeds that looked like pearls. “I’ve seen taller trees in Drakr, but this is the widest tree I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh yeah.” I looked from side to side, the trunk blocking my vision forward. Strange magic emanated from this tree; it was neither benevolent or evil, just kind of… in-between? No, something else entirely. “Walk me around it. Let’s see if there’s anything on the trunk.”

“Right.” He takes my hand and we carefully step over roots as we go around the giant trunk. We go about halfway around it before Julian says “Hey, there’s a mirror in a big hole in the trunk!”

“Really?” I ask.

“Well, yeah… it shows my reflection, but it wiggles like water… oh, you know what it looks like? Mercury, that stuff they put in thermometers. Maybe we shouldn’t go near it.”

“Wait, let me see.” I watch my step until I’m standing next to him. Before I can raise my head, I hear him gasp in surprise. “What is it?” I look up into the strange mirror.

It’s not my reflection. It’s the orange dragon from my dreams. I raise my arm, and she raises hers too.

“What the…” I couldn’t finish. I was suddenly pulled into the mirror, falling into a dark abyss for a few seconds before landing on my side.

“Whoops, sorry about that. I forget how big of a fall that is, sometimes.” I hear a whimsical voice that sounds similar to my own, but has a slight rumble to it. I get up to see the orange dragon, dressed in light gray robes and a white flower crown, a wooden staff in her hand. Those clothes and staff actually look familiar. “Hey, what’s up?” She’s hovering a few feet above the ground with her wings, smiling without a care in the world.

“Y-You’re… the Fool, aren’t you?” I ask.

“That’s me!” She gestures to herself. “I was wondering when you’d find your way here.”

“You’ve been sending me dreams for the past three nights.” I said, walking closer.

“What? No, I didn’t.” She rubs her chin. “Maybe that just happened because… well, we need to have a talk.”

“Do we?” Whenever someone says that to me, cruddy things happen.

“Yeah. It’s nothing bad or anything, it’s just weird. I mean, this right here is weird anyway, you and me talking, since we’re the same thing…”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh, whoops.” She smacks the side of her head with her palm. “Yeah so, plot twist! You’re actually me, and I’m you! We’re the exact same being.” I say nothing, just stare in bewilderment. “I know we don’t look the same, but that’s the point. See, I reincarnated myself into you. You following me?”

“No!” I blurt out, throwing my arms out. “What are you talking about? I’m not you, I’m me, I’m… I’m Hotaru.”

“Yes, you are! We are.” The Fool rubs the back of her head. “Sorry, I’m not good at explaining things… but I am good at telling stories. Let me go back to the beginning, and also, make this place look presentable. What would you like, a house, a forest, a pond?”

“A-A house would be fine.” I reply.

“Cool, cool.” She waves the wand to turn the blackness into a warm log cabin with a fireplace. She also makes two rocking chairs for us to sit in. “There, that’s better, right?”

“Yeah.” I simply say, slowly sitting in the chair, my nerves still a wreck from what she claims.

“So, the beginning. A really long time ago, we, the Arcana, came to be. We watched humanity from our realm. I, however, was the only one of us truly interested in humans. They live such short lives, but they try to have the most fun and live the best that they can with the time they have. I admired that so much that I wanted to actually go to the human world to see it first-hand. And guess what? I could!”

“You could? How?” I asked.

“I honestly have no idea. I could just… walk there. None of the other Arcana could but me. If they tried well… things would turn screwy in the human world. Anyway, me being able to walk between realms is how humans learned about us! Then, some of the more talented ones could actually visit our realm, people who had strong connections to one of us. The humans would call us their Patron Arcana if they were connected. And they would ask for help, and we’d do our best to advise them, or strike them a deal. They would make magical cards blessed by us, and ask us through them instead of having to travel to our world. The cards would be passed down, or they’d make new ones. And this pattern would go on for centuries and centuries.

“But… I got bored. And I hate being bored more than anything. I wanted a new life, a real life, like a human. So I learned how to be reincarnated as a human. I could walk the earth, have many adventures, maybe fall in love, have kids, die, and then do it all over again! Whenever I was human, my card would be blank, and whenever I died and came back to this realm, my form would return to the card. Also, when I was human, I’d have no memories of being the Fool, but when I die and come back here, I remember everything, my human lives included! I love going on adventures, and that’s what life is, an adventure! And I had quite an adventure as you.”

“You mean, before I died of the plague.” I clarify.

“Right, because I’m you. See, you’re getting it!” The Fool waggles her finger at me. “We had a lovely life: parents, family, friends, and of course magic! And then I – we – died. The adventure seemed to be over, right? Wrong! Apparently, it was only just beginning. You see, for a while before I even became you, the Devil was up to no good. It was dangerous to become you, really, but I did it anyway. And we died because of what the Devil and Monty were up to.”

“Wait, who’s Monty?”

“Oh right, you don’t know him by that name. Lucio.” She said. “That little brat. He lived his whole life trying to be somebody else, something he’s not. He hated that I was his Patron Arcana. He wanted it to be the Devil.”

“You’re his patron? Oh…” Actually, now that I thought about it, it made sense. “He was like the Reverse Fool.”

“So Reverse! The most Reverse person ever!” The Fool nodded. “Anyway, we die, and I’m back on the card. Your friend Asra notices this, and comes to my realm, asking why that is, out of curiosity. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be easy for him to hear, I told him the truth. He left the realm and went back to his own, going to the Lazaret only to find our remains in the sand. After a while of him doing some research, he comes back to me, warning me about Lucio’s and the Devil’s plan to snatch my body from me against my will so the brat could have a plague-less body. He asked me to strike a deal with him, that I would return as you instead. I told him I had no idea how to do that, but he and the Magician found a way. Asra needed to sacrifice half of his heart in exchange for this deal. So, I agreed. It would definitely be a wondrous and brand new adventure. Still, coming back as you again came with its hardships, like not remembering anything from your past and learning how to be human again like a baby. But hey, you did it, right? And you defeated the Devil! And now you’re on a new adventure with that hunka-hunk out there!” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Yeah…” God, this was a lot for me to take in. But, I also felt relieved, and I let out an exhausted laugh. “You know, I knew that Asra had to use a body to bring me back, and I’d been feeling guilty about whosever body I used. I didn’t ask to be reborn. I didn’t ask for anyone to sacrifice anything for me. But… it turns out that you wanted to come back as me of your own accord. And you were already me to start with, anyway.”

“That’s right.” She nods. “Maybe because you felt guilt, you were having those weird dreams.”

“There’s one thing I’m still confused about.” I say. “What about Scout? She’s our dog, right?” The Fool, who’s had this whimsical look on her face the whole time, now looked utterly depressed.

“Yes. My loyal companion. Too loyal. I… I don’t deserve her, truly.” The Fool says somberly. “She was not happy with me when I decided to go be human the first time, any of the times. Each time, I would leave her with my staff, clothes and half my power. I gave her a new job, as a guide to the lost. She would perform her duties perfectly, waiting patiently for me to come home. I didn’t think it would be that long of a wait, after all, time flows faster in the human realm, but… she was lonely. I didn’t realize how lonely until before I left to be you. She said it was too dangerous because of the Devil, but I went anyway.” She smiles again. “You know, maybe I did call you here subconsciously. I have a way where she doesn’t have to be lonely anymore, if you’ll help me.”

“Absolutely. I owe a lot to her.” I answer. Suddenly, the world around us starts glitching away. The rocking chairs disappear and we fall on our asses. “Ow!”

“Whoops. I forgot we only had a limited time.” The Fool flies up in the air. “Alright, real quick, here’s what you do.” She made sure I was listening. “Find Scout and bring her back to the tree. You saw those little white seeds?” I nod. “She needs to pick one and give it to you. You can’t pick it, she has to! Then, you take the seed home, and plant it in a pot or a garden. Take care of it like you would any other flower: put it in a window where there’s lots of sun, give it good soil, water it once a week. A flower will grow each month. Finally, in four months…” The scene she created turns black again. “Well, you’ll see! It’ll be a great surprise! Oh, and don’t come back to the Arcana realm within those four months, got it?”

“Got it!” I say, the abyss starting to rumble like we were in an earthquake.

“Okay! It was nice meeting you, or… me… us… something. And thank you so much.” The Fool smiles, then picks me up by my hand and tosses me out of the blackness, through the mirror, and into Julian’s arms. We fall to the ground, a tangle of limbs.

“Hotaru! What in the fresh hell happened?” He checks me, seeing if I’m wounded. “You get pulled into the mirror and tossed out in just a few seconds, but…” He stops when he sees tears flowing out my eyes and down my cheeks. “Oh no, what is it?”

“I… I remember everything.” I say, my whole life flashing in my mind’s eye. Everything came back to me at once. “I remember my life! My parents, my aunt, meeting Asra for the first time…!”

“Really, that’s so wonderful!” He smiles big, hugging me tightly and I gladly hug him back. “So, those are tears of joy, right?”

“Tears of joy, sadness, anger, all the kinds of tears!” I say, bouncing around on top of him. “I remember who I am! I…” I stop, indeed remembering the conversation I had with the Fool – with myself. “Oh man, there’re some things I need to tell you.” I get off of him and help him up.

“Yeah?” He says curiously. Suddenly, we hear a bark from behind Julian. We look and see Scout, her tail wagging.

“Scout, I was just going to look for you!” I shout across the way, about to run to her.

“No, no!” Julian stops me and Scout barks as another cliff forms, jostling the white dog around.

“Oh my God! How do I make this stop?” I ask rhetorically, but apparently Scout has an answer. She waves her arms up and down like they’re wings. “I should… fly?”

“How are you going to do that?” Julian wonders.

“Hm…” If I’m the Fool, then maybe… “Julian, step back a moment, please.”

“Alright.” He obeys, stepping back several feet. I close my eyes and concentrate, remembering the Fool’s beautiful, scaly, orange wings… and picture them on me. “What…?” I feel wind breaking from me and open my eyes. I have the Fool’s wings! “Wow…” Julian looks in awe.

“Come here, I’ll fly us down!” I smile, flapping my wings gently. He nods and comes to me, holding on for dear life. “Here we go!” I grab him and we fly off the ground with the wind assisting me. He hoots in surprise as I take us higher. The ground beneath us becomes flat again. I gently hover down to where Scout is, letting Julian’s feet touch the ground first.

“Whoo, that was exhilarating! We could try that again sometime.” Julian says, fixing his hair. “Hey Scout, good to see you.”

“Aroo.” She says, her ears perking up.

“Scout…” I look at her with sadness in my eyes. I feel bad for her now that I know what she’s gone through. “Listen, I know everything now. The Fool told me in that tree. I know what I am, and who you are, and… I’m sorry.” Scout’s ears droop and she whimpers, understanding what I’m saying.

“What are you… I guess I’ll find out later.” Julian says to himself.

“But the Fool told me of a way to make you happy. She didn’t explain the details because she didn’t have time, but… do you know of it?” I asked. Scout looked down, probably thinking about the Fool. She exhaled through her nose and nodded slowly. “Is it bad, or too much? Do you want to do it?” Again, she thought for a moment and nodded. She points at me and makes a sound with an upward inflection, as if asking me if I want to do it. “I want to help you. You’ve helped me, and I’d love to make you happy.” Scout’s ears perk up again, and yips happily.

“What do we have to do?” Julian asks, crossing his arms.

“It all seems really easy, actually.” I say, pointing to the seeds in the tree. “Scout needs to pick a seed and give it to us to take care of for four months. Scout, can I fly you up there?” She barks positively in response. Julian steps back again and I hold Scout tight, flying us up to the seeded branches. She picks the biggest, shiniest one in the tree, and when she does a bright light shines from it. We get back down to the ground and observe the shiny, pearl-like seed before Scout hands it to me. It’s warm and it pulses a little.

“How is this going to make Scout happy?” Julian stares at the seed.

“I don’t know. The Fool didn’t get to that part.” I look up at Scout. “Will you be okay?”

“Woof!” She nods, tail wagging. Then, she makes a shooing gesture with her hand, telling us to leave. She must know of the four-month rule.

“Alright. We’ll see you.” I say as I take Julian’s hands, heading back to the human world.

:::

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea from here: https://aminoapps.com/c/arcana-visual-novel/page/blog/the-arcana-a-large-large-theory/V0vo_qgzt7uMa7qk1Np0qkYYQQPN0YVEJZ1 
> 
> Makes sense, right? Also, how about some Hotaru bio?
> 
> Name: Hotaru (means firefly)  
Birthday: October 3 (Libra)  
Favorite color: Orange  
Favorite Food: Muffins  
Favorite Drink: Chamomile Tea  
Favorite Flower: Wisteria (and deadly starstrand ;)  
Favorite ice cream: Vanilla  
Favorite fruit: Pear  
Favorite things to do: cross-stitch, read spell books, make magic tea, collect rocks and crystals for magic, go to places with animals like zoos and the forest, bathe (especially with Julian), literally do anything with Julian


	3. The One With Scout

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

“…” Julian looks at me, processing the whole story I just told him. “So… you’re Patron Arcana isn’t the Fool, you are the Fool.”

“Yep.” I nod, my lips pursed.

“But, you’re still you, right? Like, you remember your life, no one else’s.”

“Correct.” I say.

“Does Asra know this?” He asks.

“Yes.” I lean my head on my hands. “Look, I know this is a lot…”

“Oh no, don’t worry about me, I’m worried about you!” He reaches across the table to take my hands. “This must be… I can’t imagine what’s going through your head right now…”

“Memories.” I say, smiling. “That’s what’s going through my head. I remember my life. It’s… It’s all I ever wanted for myself these past years and I…” I start tearing up. “I’m so happy, Julian.”

“Hotaru…” He smiles, pulling his chair all the way over so he can hug me. “I’m so glad you are, and I’m happy for you. You must tell me everything as soon as possible.”

“I will.” I smother myself in his chest.

“So… about that plant…” We look over at it. I put the seed in a pretty ceramic pot with good soil and watered it, just like the Fool said to do.

“Who knows how this is going to work, but apparently in four months, we’ll know.” I say. “Let’s go back to sleep, and sleep in.”

“That’s the first thing you’ve said all night that made any sense.” Julian sweeps me up in his arms and carries me to bed. I squeal happily, wrapping my arms around his neck. We go to bed, and the seed starts to root.

::: One Month Later :::

“Oh! Julian, look!” I say with a mouth full of blueberry muffin.

“Huh?” Julian looks over to where I’m pointing. “The flower!” It is pure white and shiny like a pearl. It has four big petals and a round, pearl-like middle. “It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it?” I take the watering can and sprinkle water over it, the petals glistening more. “Strange that it just popped up overnight, though. I was getting worried.” There wasn’t even a stem growing.

“Yeah, I wonder what’s going to happen next month.” Julian says. “Maybe it’ll turn into a man-eating plant.”

“I highly doubt it.” I roll my eyes.

“Well, we don’t know what it does, so who knows.”

“True.” I wonder too, gazing at it. We really had no idea what was coming.

::: Three Months Later :::

The seed sprouted a new flower each month, just like the Fool said. It was emanating this sparkling essence that danced in the air and it smelled great. Julian and I were asleep exactly four months later, until I felt this wonderful energy from a short distance away from the house. I sat straight up, the feeling swelling in my body. It was quite a benevolent feeling, and I had the urge to follow it and find it. “Hotaru, what’s happening?”

“I-I don’t know but…” I jump out of bed, grab our robes and toss Julian’s to him. “Let’s go find out.”

“What?!” He’s confused but gets up to follow me. I practically run out the door, figuring out which way the energy’s coming from. I head down the street with Julian at my heels. “What is going on? What do you sense?”

“Something pure, beautiful…” I try to explain. “It’s getting closer.” I decide to stand still, letting it come to me. I hear a little bark and panting. A small, white dog comes out from around the corner, ears perked and tail going a mile a minute. It yelps happily and runs toward me. I bend down to meet it, and it jumps into my arms, licking my face. “O-Oh my God!” I say between licks. It’s sweet torture.

“A dog? No… a puppy.” Julian sounds relieved it isn’t some man-eating monster flower. “Where the hell did it come from?”

“I don’t… pppftt…” Its tongue goes in my mouth and I pull away. “Okay, stop!” I say. It obeys me, still in my arms and looking adorably at me with milky white eyes… “Wait…” I hold it up to examine it. White fur, long snout like a schnauzer, female, the ears and tail, those eyes: it can’t be. “Scout?!”

“Scout?” Julian repeats, squatting down to observe it, too. “It… really does look like her, doesn’t it?” The puppy looks at Julian and barks happily at him, too, wanting to go say hi. I put her down and she puts her paws on Julian’s knees, giving him some kisses, too. “Aw… but, she acts very differently from Scout.”

“Is this how the Fool wanted to make Scout happy, by giving her the reincarnation he gives himself?” I ask in disbelief. “And then, giving her to me? To us?” Scout comes back to me, paws on my knees, looking deep into my eyes and ears pulling back. She’s so freaking adorable. Of course I’m going to keep her. “Let’s go home, all of us.”

“Yeah?” Julian helps me up, smiling at me. “It’s strange; someday I wanted to ask you if we could get a pet.” He smiles at Scout. “And the pet comes to us.”

“We’ll be a family.” I say, clapping my hands. “Come on, Scout, let’s get going.” She comes to my heel as we start to walk.

“She’s already trained, apparently. That makes things easy.” Julian muses.

“Oh, and we need to get all kinds of dog things: a bed, toys, a collar with a cute nametag…” I’m getting excited. The shop comes into view and Scout barks and runs ahead, already knowing where we live.

“How is that?” Julian says.

“That is a very Scout-like thing to do: showing us the way.” I laugh. We all go inside and get out of our robes, wanting to go back to sleep. Scout watches us get into the bed with curiosity. “You want to sleep with us?” I ask her. Her ears perk up and her tail wags. “Come up here!” I pat the mattress. She jumps up and stands on my stomach, leaning down to lick me. 

“She could use some training.” Julian smirks.

“Here.” I sit up and point to the far corner of the bed. “You sleep here, okay?” She makes a little circle in the spot before plopping down, resting her little head between her little paws. “Ooo, so cute!” I squeal, and Julian snickers. “Goodnight, Scout, Julian.” I come back down to give him a chaste kiss.

“Mm, you taste like dog drool.” He says in a sarcastic flirty tone.

“You do, too.” I head-butt him gently. We all drift to sleep, smiling as I dream about a certain white puppy.

:::

_Out._

“Mm…” I think I hear something, but I brush it off as I must just be dreaming, turning over and trying to fall back to sleep.

_Out!_

I hear it again. My eyes peel open, and Scout was staring right at me, ears up and little feet dancing like she had to… go out. “Uh, you have to pee?” I don’t hear a word this time, just a little whimper and more feet tapping. “Okay, I’ll let you out.” Julian’s not beside me, so he must have gotten up already. I check the bathroom and the door is closed, meaning he was doing his morning routine; he always gets up before me. Most of the time he has to wake me up, because I’m a hard sleeper. I can sleep through earthquakes. I get up and Scout runs down the stairs before me. I open the door and let her out, and she pees delicately next to the building, leaving quite a noticeable puddle. “Oh dear… maybe we should train you to pee in kitty litter… or maybe make a patch of grass with a doggy door…” She yips happily, running up to me and putting her paws on my knees again. Oh, those adorable eyes. “Ooo, you’re just the cutest thing!” I squeeze my eyes shut, unable to handle the cuteness, and scratch her cheeks and neck.

_Cute!_

There it was again. Whenever I shut my eyes I hear it. Is… Is Scout able to communicate with me? “There you are, my love!” Julian comes down the stairs half-dressed. He kisses my temple. “Taking the dog out?”

“Yeah, I just did.” I shut the shop door. “Hey, Julian?”

“Yes?”

“Do you ever… hear Malak talk?” I ask him. His eyebrows rise and he blinks multiple times.

“Uh, what exactly do you mean? Did you hear Scout talk?”

“I think I did. But like… in my head.” I point to my head. He just stares at me like I’m crazy. “Look, Asra can talk to Faust, okay? This isn’t that crazy of a thing to consider!”

“Alright, alright.” He holds up his hands. “Well, to answer your question about me and Malak, the answer is… complicated. He doesn’t talk, I just kind of… understand him? Like I know what kind of screech he makes when the guards are coming, or when you’re in danger.”

“Interesting.” I bend down to Scout. “Hey, Scout, you hungry?” She barks and spins in a circle. She can understand what I say, but all I heard was a bark that time. I concentrate and close my eyes. “Tell me you’re hungry.”

_Hungry! Food!_

“I heard her!” I stand up in shock.

“I just heard barking.” Julian says.

“Wow.” I put my hand to my mouth. “Does this mean Scout’s my… familiar?”

“A little too familiar, if you ask me.” Julian jokes. “Come on, let’s eat. Can dogs have tuna? I know that’s more of a cat thing…”

“I guess I can just ask her!” I say, putting my arms around his waist. I never had a familiar before, and most of the people I know has one. I always wanted that, a buddy that would be by my side no matter what. I guess I never had one since I’m the Fool, and Scout was my familiar all along that I left behind. But now she’s here with me. If that’s the case, then she’s no longer a guide to the lost in the other realm. Did she die in that realm to be reincarnated here? These were questions that I need to ask Asra.

:::

I decide to go with Julian to the palace today for his meeting about the aqueducts. Scout tags along beside me, looking up at me every once in a while. I have never seen such a cute dog in my life, to be honest. Malak had flown down to meet her, curious but very nice. Scout even gave him a kiss on his beak. We arrive at the palace and head to the veranda. Everyone was waiting for us there.

“Taru.” Asra smiles, hugging me. Faust slithers up his shoulder and immediately notices Scout. “Oh, and who’s this?”

“Aw, what a cutie!” Portia smiles, kneeling down to pet her. Scout just loves everybody and everything, licking Portia’s cheeks.

“It’s a long story.” I reply. “I’d like to talk about it with you if I can.”

“Of course.” He looks worried, but I pat his shoulder, reassuring him.

“I’ll let the rest of you start working.” I say apologetically as I lead Asra to the parlor.

:::

“…” Asra’s eyes are downcast and a look of guilt is on his face after I tell him everything I learned these past couple months. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that you are the Fool.”

“It’s completely okay.” Of all the things we argued about and kept secrets about, this is not something I’m mad at him for. “I don’t think I could hear it from you. I needed to hear it from her… well… me.”

“Honestly, it was hard to accept. The whole thing just brought up bad memories. But, you’re okay, right?”

“I’m fine. Had a lot of time to process it. But when it all comes down to it, I’m still and will always be me.” I smile at him, and he smiles in relief. “Now, about Scout…” She hears her name and raises her head from my lap.

“Yes, this is really something, isn’t it?” Asra leans forward, observing the puppy. “She looks exactly like the animal guide from the realm. I met her before, looking something like this when I went to talk to the Fool. She was a little bigger then, possibly an older version of her current state.”

“Older, huh?” I realize that the seed took four months to bloom, which is the length of time a newborn pup must stay with their mother. “I think Scout is four months old.”

“I never even heard of this reincarnation seed. Perhaps the Fool used them to reincarnate herself.” Asra says. “She told me when she reincarnated, her Fool body would essentially die, but then come back when her human self dies. Maybe Scout did the same. You said you weren’t allowed to enter the Arcana realm while this process was happening. I assume Scout’s soul needed to be attached to you in the human world, and as she was born and raised she needed to bond with you. This is the only explanation I can give.” He took a breath, allowing me to process that. “You also said that Scout can speak to you.”

“Yes, but only when I close my eyes and my mind is calm.” I rub Scout’s little head.

“It took me a while to learn to speak to Faust.” Asra says as Faust turns her head upside down. “Do you hear one word at a time? Maybe two or three?”

“Yes.”

“Faust speaks to me the same way.” He smiles. “It’s very simple, really: all you need to do is meditate with Scout. Then, you’ll be able to hear her all the time, not just with your eyes closed.”

“Meditate?”

“Yes, once a day, if possible. Sit with her like this, or any way as long as you’re touching her, and feel each other’s thoughts.”

“Is this why Julian never heard Malak speak?” I ask. Asra snorts.

“Well, that, and his former aversion to magic and anything beyond science.” He replies. “Malak likely picked up on that, and just found a way to speak to Julian in a non-verbal way. Oh, by the way, don’t be surprised if Julian can suddenly start to hear Malak or Scout speak.”

“Really?”

“Magic rubs off on people. And because you’re so close, who knows what could happen?”

“Ha, I can’t wait to see his face.” We laugh. “Thanks, Asra. I’ll let you get back to your meeting.”

“What are going to do to keep busy?”

“I’ll start my meditations with Scout.” I smile, rubbing Scout’s back. She looks up at me with curiosity. “Let’s get to know each other, little girl.”

:::

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Scout reminds me a lot of my real-life puppy, Spock. He’s a salt/pepper miniature schnauzer, and he’s the cutest in the world. Anyway, here’s more Hotaru facts. Next chapter will be sexy, I promise.
> 
> Hotaru Physical description  
\- Gender: Female  
\- Height: 5’6”  
\- Eye Color: Ruby  
\- Hair Color: Platinum Blonde w/ red, orange & yellow streaks, shoulder-length, thick and wavy  
\- Favorite clothes to wear: bedlah (belly-dancing outfits with beads)  
\- She also likes earrings, belly-button rings, necklaces and ankle bracelets. She’s not a fan of bracelets or rings  
\- I forgot one of the most important facts last time: she plays guitar! She couldn’t remember how to play it until Julian played the vielle. She remembered and grabbed the nearest guitar, playing with him.  
\- She likes sleeping. She’s not a morning person. Julian has to wake her up most of the time (it used to be Asra’s or Faust’s job)  
\- She HATES super-hot Vesuvian summers. She hates sweating and is very miserable when it gets that hot.  
\- Of course, wearing bedlah, she can belly-dance! She’s shy about it, though. Julian fucking LOVES it  
\- She loves music and the arts and can’t wait to join Julian on stage when she can (she’s just too busy)


	4. The One With the Dog Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

“Who’s a cute puppy?!” I petted Scout all over as Scout licked my face. We can communicate pretty well, now; but even so, sometimes I just wanted to treat Scout like the sweet and cute dog she was, with the petting and the baby talk. “Who’s the cutest thing in the whole world? You are! Yes, you are!”

“Hmph…” Julian practically glared at us, downing his coffee before work. He had a hard time sleeping last night (and the night before) and really wasn’t feeling like going to work. And for some reason, this ‘cute’ sight before him was irritating him greatly. He should be happy, right? Me smiling and happy with the adorable Scout but…

“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” I noticed his grumpy face. “What’s the matter?”

“Uh, nothing.” He says, putting down his mug. “I was just thinking, uh… how full this house has gotten, you know? And… how fast…”

“… Uh-huh.” I narrow my eyes.

_Jealous!_ Scout said to me.

“I think you’re right, Scout.” I smirk.

“What?” Says Julian.

“Scout thinks you’re jealous.” I purse my lips, holding Scout closer. Even the dog looks like she’s smirking.

“Wha…? I’m not jealous.” He scoffs. “How could I be jealous of a dog?”

“A very decent question.” I say. “Why would you be?”

“I-I don’t know, because I’m not.” He’s getting dramatic, his face flushed.

“You know I love her in a very different way from you, right?”

“Yes! I know…” Julian bites his lip anxiously.

“Do you want to be petted and called cute, huh?”

“I…!” Talking about this was humiliating. “I’ll be late. Bye, love.” He kisses me on the head and walks quickly out the door. Scout and I look at each other curiously.

“Oh boy, I guess it has been a while since we had a night together.” I muse. Having Scout in the house is wonderful, but at first it was awkward to have make out sessions with Julian when the puppy is staring up at both of us with a curious expression. I supposed it was like we had a baby, but Julian wasn’t over the honeymoon phase yet; he wanted to have more alone time with me. “I have to go shopping.”

_Shopping?_ Scout asks, cocking her small head.

“You can’t come. Adults only.” I reply, winking devilishly.

:::

I walk to the south end, looking for the adult shop. I never heard of it before until Julian told me about it one night when we were drinking (he drank too much). I’ve been there three times: the first time I couldn’t bear to buy anything, the second time I got some colorful ropes to tie my man with and practice shibari, and the third time to get a riding crop and a paddle (buy one get the second one half off). I supposed I was now a frequent customer, and I knew the owner by name. I finally find the door for the shop and head inside, the cowbell ringing as I did.

“Hotaru!” A brawny black man in a harness waves at me, smiling with bright white teeth and a bottom lip piercing. “My new favorite customer!”

“I bet you say that to every customer, Damien.” I say.

“What can I get you today? What’s Julian in the mood for?” He asks, knowing Julian as well.

“Hm… well, you see, he’s jealous of our new dog.” I tell him.

“O-ho, say no more; I’ve got just the thing.” Damien smirks, walking me over to the leashes and collars. “We even have a sale on the colored leather ones.”

“I love this burgundy one.” I pick up the collar I like. Not only is it burgundy, it has studs and a big metal loop dangling from the middle. It’d look really good on Julian. “I already have a leash for our dog, so I don’t need one of those.”

“Understood, but wait, I’m not done yet.” Damien shows me the next wall. I gasp in delight. Animal ears and ‘tails’ that were actually plugs or dildos. I was drawn to the black folded dog ears and anal plug tail that went with it. They were kind of expensive, however. Damien saw my indecisiveness. “If you buy a pair, I’ll throw in a free bottle of lube, your choice.” He was a damn good salesman.

“Done.” I smile.

:::

I get everything ready for our special night, and formulate a scene in my head of how it will go. I taught Scout to stay in her room when Julian and I need alone time. He comes in the shop door and I tell Scout to go to the room and shut the door almost all the way. “Honey, I’m home!” He sounds beat. I sit on the bottom of the bed, legs crossed, wearing a lace bra and skimpy lace panties. I had put all of the items I just bought in a shoebox that was next to me. “Where are you?” He sings, coming up the stairs. “If you’re mad about this morning, I’m…” He turns into the bedroom and sees me, face turning red and jaw practically out of its socket. “Sorry?”

“Heh, thank you.” I get into character. “But I’m not mad, as you can see. Shut the door.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” Julian does what I say. He’s about to open his mouth to speak, but I shush him, holding a finger up in front of us.

“You wanted to be a dog.” I tell him. “Dogs don’t talk.” He gets it and nods slowly. “Or wear clothes.” I scan him up and down with my eyes. He immediately removes his clothes, putting them all in a big pile on the vanity table. “Or stand on two legs.” He practically slams his knees into the carpet and puts his hands on the floor, sitting like a dog, completely naked. Beautiful. “Good boy.” I say, and he bites his lip to hold back a moan. “I have presents for you. Come here.” He walks over on all fours. Dear Lord, this was going to be hard, but I needed to keep a straight face. I open the box, pulling out the burgundy collar first. He looks so excited.

“There we go.” I put it around his beautiful neck, adjusting it so it fit perfectly. I attach the leash to the ring. Then I pull out the folded ears, and he smiles with glee. I put them on him, fixing his hair around it to try and hide the band. “Last part.” I pull out the butt plug tail and the lube. His grey eyes widen and he gulps audibly. We’ve never done ‘butt stuff’ before, but I think I know what to do. “Turn around, ass up.” He doesn’t do what I say immediately. “Now.” I pull the leash, jerking him forward. He whimpers but he obeys, slowly turning around and putting his head to the carpet, arching his back to bring his little ass up. Such an exquisite sight. I open the lube and pour a little on his puckered opening. Julian flinches; it must be cold. I rub the fluid evenly over his hole before carefully pressing half of my finger inside.

“Mmmph!” He muffles his keen in the carpet. I pull out my finger all the way, then press the whole digit in, the lube making squishy sounds.

“Wow.” Was all I could say. He wanted this so badly; he was squeezing my finger. I rubbed a second finger around the area, and he groaned again, wanting to beg for it. I push it in, and he pushes back to meet my knuckles. “Oh, you’re such a good boy, Julian.” This was nearly too hot for me to handle. I had to see his face, leaning to the side to get a look. His tongue was out and panting, drooling on the floor. God, he’s so shameless. “Actually, I don’t know if you’re a good boy or a bad boy.” I pull my fingers out, and take the plug, pouring some lube on it. “You ready for this, little boy?” He nods eagerly. I slowly press the plug in, the slick metal disappearing inside my love until just the black tail showed.

“Ah~!” Julian groaned happily, his ass squeezing down on the plug tightly.

“Good boy, Julian.” I smirk. “Can I get a tail wag?” He does it slowly, waving his ass back and forth, the tail limply swinging between his thighs. “Haha, good. Come here, let me pet you!” I pull the leash a little. He faces me again, his face bright red and drool on his mouth and chin, smiling that thankful smile. “Oh, who’s a good boy, huh? Who’s the most handsome boy?” I give him the baby talk, scratching his head and neck just like I would a dog. He nuzzles my palm with his nose, adoring the attention. “Yes, you’re the sweetest boy, yes!” I squish his face before giving him a quick kiss on his nose.

“Let us do some tricks, Julian.” I stand from the bed, gripping the leash. “And then, if you’re good, I’ll give you a treat.” I wink at him. He understands what I mean. “Now, sit.” I command. He does it, nearly forgetting about the butt plug. He winces as he sits directly on it. “Beg.” He lifts his arms off the ground and holds them up in front of him, the plug going deeper. I can’t help but grin wickedly. “Speak.” I say. He hesitates. I pull up on the leash. “Do it.” I command through gritted teeth.

“W-Woof.” He says, his shoulders getting red now since his face couldn’t possibly get any redder. He’s so fucking cute I could just keel over.

“Good boy.” I give on the leash, giving it a quick pull with my wrist. “Heel.” He gets on all fours and crawls to my left side, and we start walking together. He whimpers every now and then because of the butt plug nudging him in different places while he walks. “Good boy!” I stop and sit on the bed again, petting his head. “You’re so good! Give me a kiss.” He smiles and leans in for a regular kiss. “Ah-ah. A dog kiss, just tongue.” I pulled him back with the leash. He tries again, licking my lips from bottom to top. “Mm…” I let him lick me more, my cheeks, my ears, my jawline, and my neck. But then he decides to get deviant and bite my jugular. I was actually counting on him to do that.

“No!” I pull the leash, putting my finger in front of him. “Bad dog! I didn’t say you could do that!” He pouts and whimpers, begging forgiveness. “No, you need to be punished.” I move back on the bed so there’s room for Julian. “Get across my lap, ass on the left. Come on!” I pull him toward me. He crawls on the bed and lies across my lap. I tug back on the leash so he’s constantly feeling pressure on his neck. Then I raise my left hand and whack him across the ass. He clenched the butt plug as I did. He whined just like a dog, going crazy and loving every minute of this. I smack his ass again and does the same thing, biting his lip as a bonus. “I’m going to give you ten, so eight more to go.” I pull up harder on the leash and whack him again, the other cheek this time. As I spank him, I finally notice his cock, which is so hard and leaking on my thighs. He tries to hump my leg but I pull on the leash more telling him to stop. “One more, and then you get your treat, alright?” He whines in response. I whack him as hard as I can, my arm tired so not as hard as I want, but enough to get a loud moan from Julian.

“That’s my good boy.” I sigh, putting both my arms down. His legs shake as he gets off of me. He mewls, wanting whatever his treat would be. I smile and pull down my panties awkwardly, shaking them off my foot. “Here’s your treat Julian.” I spread my legs. His eyes widen and he licks his lips. “Remember, tongue only.” I tell him as he gets between my legs, leaning down and licking my pussy from bottom to top slowly.

“Oh fuck…” I prop myself on my elbows so I have a good view. God he’s beautiful, licking me so good, eyes glazed over and his ‘paws’ on my thighs to open me wider for him. I was worried that just using tongue wouldn’t be enough, but good Lord he’s making up for it, pressing the muscle down on my clit and sliding it into my pussy. “Ooo… good boy, Julian… _ah~…_” I need to stop this before I come too soon. “O-Okay, that’s enough.” I reach for the lube and pour it on my hand, applying it to Julian’s cock. He’s shocked by the cold wetness, shivering. “You’re gonna fuck me like a dog, Julian. Doggy-style.” I don’t think we’ve ever used that position, since he’s not the dominant type, but because he’s a dog in this scenario… “Speak if you understand.”

“Woof!” He appears excited about it. I turn around on my stomach, arching my ass up to grind against his lubed dick. He groans straight from his gut.

“Fuck me, baby.” I say again, grabbing the leash and giving it a short tug. Suddenly, he growls, and I feel the head nudge my entrance. I look back to see what he’s up to, but he’s already buried himself inside me. “AAAH~!” I squeal in sheer ecstasy. His teeth are bared and his eyes are dark; he’s gone completely feral! He rears back and begins thrusting wildly. “AH! Oh… fuuuck… _Julian~…_” He’s never been this crazy before and I love it; this is just what I wanted. He digs his fingers into the bed, pounding me into the mattress. “Yes, Julian… f-fuck me like a dog!” I manage to give the leash another pull, urging him on. He growls ferociously again and leans down to bite me on my shoulder, absolutely leaving a mark. “YES! Good boy… _aaahhnn~…_ Julian…” His knees come off the bed and his hips meet mine in a certain way that he hits that place inside me. I scream again and he knows to keep hitting me there. “Oh, Julian… Julian… baby…!” I feel him come and it’s a lot in hot spurts. I come soon after, biting into the sheet, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.

“Ah…” Julian gets out the last of it, relaxing his muscles and slowly pulling out of me, watching the semen ooze from my entrance. Snapping out of his high, he becomes himself again, worrying if he hurt me. “Hotaru, are you okay? Was that too hard? I don’t know what happened to me, I…”

“Bad boy…” I mumble into the bed.

“Huh?”

“I said bad boy.” I repeat, turning my head toward him. “Dogs don’t talk.”

“Oh, um… woof?” He shrugs, and I laugh.

“I’m kidding, you can talk now.” I turn completely over, splayed out to try and cool off. “And I’m fine. Better than fine. Oh Julian, that was…” I had no words. I just squeal and curl my toes giddily. “You did so well. Are you okay?” I sit up, taking off the collar.

“Yes, of course.” He smiles. “Hotaru, I really am sorry about this morning. I understand that Scout is a part of our family and you love her, too… I guess I’m still in the honeymoon phase.”

“That’s exactly what I figured.” I say, removing the ears. “I said earlier that it’s fine, and I’m not mad. We’re still trying to understand each other, so fighting might happen. If we need to talk about something, we should talk about it. No need to hold it in. Alright?”

“Alright, but… I don’t want to fight…”

“We’re a couple, and we live together, so we’re going to fight. And hey, if you don’t want to, then just let me win every argument.” I smirk and he laughs, kissing my cheek.

“Of course, darling.” He grins.

“Oh, um… turn around.” I tell him.

“Why?”

“Well, you still have the plug…”

“Oh my.” He blushes. “I completely forgot I had it in!” We laugh at that. “Here, I’ll… uh, I’ll get it.” He gently pulls it out of himself, moaning as he did so.

“We can clean up in a second. Just come here.” I pull him down with me on the bed, cuddling in his perfect chest. That moan did something to me, I guess. “I love you. You really are a good boy.”

“Th-Thanks.” Julian grins. “I love you, too, Hotaru, and thank you for this special night.”

:::


	5. The One with the Degrading

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

It was another night at home with Julian. I’m chopping up ingredients for magic tea while he writes notes in his notebook, and we gaze at each other from time to time. He gets up to stretch, walking in a circle before coming back to the desk to stretch against it, placing his hands on it and arching his back like a cat. I had no idea if he was doing this on purpose or what, but of course I’m going to stare as he touches the ceiling with his hands, long body looking even longer.

Who gave this man the right to be so gorgeous? It’s not fair, really.

He catches me staring. He thinks I’ll look away, but I don’t; I just stare harder, as if burning holes through his clothes. He blushes, clearing his throat. “C-Can I help you?”

“Hm… I don’t know.” I cross my legs and lean back in my chair. “Can you?”

“Er…” He bites his lip, getting nervous under the scrutiny. “I don’t know.” He looks down at himself. He’s wearing the buttoned-up shirt, his sash, pants and boots. The jacket, eyepatch and gloves come off when he gets home every evening. “Should I… Should I remove my shirt?”

“That sounds good.” I reply, narrowing my eyes. He makes an agreeing noise before slowly unbuttoning his top, shrugging it off his shoulders. His white undershirt hung off of his broad shoulders, exposing perfect ivory skin that I just wanted to bite.

“Should I… take this one off, too?” Julian asks as innocently as possible, perfectly aware that a nipple was showing. _Fuck_.

“Sure.” I agree. He slips that off in one fluid motion. “Turn around, let me see.” I order him. He blushes more, the red going down to his shoulders as he turns around, showing me his lean, muscular back, those lines perfectly sculpted by gods. His hair was getting long on his neck; it’s overdue for a cut. “Okay, turn back around.” I say, and he obeys. I continue staring, waiting for more suggestions.

“Um… sh-should I take off my boots?” Julian asks.

“Please.” I watch as he clumsily does it. I don’t know how he wears those things all day; I prefer to have more freedom for my legs, myself.

“Should I take off my pants?” He asks.

“Yes. Underwear, too.” I tell him. He removes his belt, and unbuttons the first button on his pants. “Wait. Turn around again, I want to watch you bend over.” I say, smirking. He gulps as he does what he’s told. Julian might not have a big ass but it was still a great one, bending over to swiftly take off the rest of his clothes. He’s perfect from top to toe. He eagerly waits for more instructions while letting out a soft moan, the anticipation killing him. His hands seemed to be covering his front. “Let me see what you’re hiding there, Julian dear.” He turns around slowly, embarrassingly, moving his hands to show his already half-hard dick. I click my tongue in false disappointment. “Look at you, already hard and I haven’t even done anything. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” He slouches.

“Get over here.” I summon him with my finger. He quickly does what he’s told. “Turn around, sit on my lap, spread your legs and bend over. Now!” He scrambles to do it, sitting on my knees so I have more room to punish him; he’s such a good boy, but I’m not telling him that, today. Today, he will be demeaned and humiliated. “You get aroused too easily. You slut!” I slap his ass hard. He howls in surprise and pain. “Whore!” I smack his other cheek. He makes another noise. “Tramp!” I keep shouting such synonyms while spanking him every time, his pale cheeks getting so red, as well as my hands from hitting him so hard. “You dare to look so good all the damn time, just asking to be fucked like the whore you are.” Another slap. “How is that fair to me? I have to get shit done and you just prance around in that shirt and those boots, getting hard the _second_ I look at you. You street-walking-man!” There were slaps between those words. His legs shake and he whimpers pitifully. His ass is tomato red. “And look at me now! My work interrupted by you, you strumpet. Get up here!” I lean down to grab his auburn hair, pulling him up. He moans in pain, arching his neck and biting his lip. I put his arm around my neck so I can see his erection, leaking and throbbing, begging to be touched. “Disgraceful, Julian. Absolutely, one-hundred percent disgraceful.”

“Ma’am… mistress… _love~_… aah!” I pull harder on his hair.

“Don’t you try to sweet talk me.” I command. “I’m not touching you. Handle it yourself!”

“Mmph…” He bites his lip as he whines, shakily reaching for his own cock, stroking roughly, his only lube the pre-cum that formed at the tip.

“Yes, that’s it.” I say, watching him intently. His face says that he’s embarrassed, but he’s working himself fast and hard, wanting to come so bad. “You’re a shameless pig, Julian.” I bite the side of his pectoral muscle, eliciting a yelp from him.

“Oh, Hotaru… _please…_” He cries.

“Please, what?” I ask. “It doesn’t look like you need any help; you’re about to come any second, now.” I bite him some more, leaving bruises on his ivory flesh. I decide to spoil him since he asked so nicely by reaching around and squeezing his nipples.

“AAH! Ungh… Hotaru… my love… I’m-!” Hot semen spurts from his cock and onto his stomach. It was a lot, too. Where does he keep it all? He starts to relax on me after the heavy climax.

“Oh no, you don’t. Get off of me; we are not done yet.” I gently push him off, and he stands on wobbly legs, with cum all over himself. “You’re a mess. Get on your knees.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.” He obeys, carefully sinking to his knees.

“Now clean yourself up.” I give him a wicked grin. “You can only use your hand, and your tongue.”

“My…?” He thinks for a moment, and then realizes I want him to eat his own semen by wiping it onto his hand and licking it off. “Oh.”

“Is there a problem?” I glare down at him.

“N-No, ma’am! I’ll do it, ma’am!” He starts with the fluid that’s already on his hand, licking it off slowly while making direct eye contact.

“You’re a dirty boy, Julian.” I gulped, suddenly finding this difficult. I just want to eat him alive, but I needed to stay in character. “C-Come on, clean up the rest.” He reaches down to wipe the cum off his abs, taking it to his mouth and licking each finger one by one. My crotch throbs watching this. It’s so lewd that I can’t handle it. He licks his palm before going in for seconds. Does he know what he’s doing to me right now? Does he ever know what he does to me every fucking _day_? Finally, he finishes, licking his long fingers one last time before looking at me with puppy eyes, wondering what’s next. I see his boots laying on the ground and I get an idea. “Give me your boots, babe.” I command while I take off my pants and undergarments. He looks at me quizzically before getting up and getting them. I got a good view of his reddened ass while he did it.

“Here you are.” Julian hands them to me.

“Help me put them on.” I smirk. His eyes widen, intrigued as to where this is going. He slips one on, the process being harder because my legs are shorter and thicker than his. We finally manage to stuff my big legs into the boots. “How do I look?” I cross my legs dramatically, giving him an eyeful of what was in between.

“S-So dashing, my love.” He mouth waters for me. Too bad that’s not what he’s getting yet. “What are you…?!” I stand quickly, raising a leg to push him down to the floor with the heel of the boot, it digging into his shoulder. “AH~!” He yelps in surprise, his arms stiff at his sides.

“Oh, you thought you were done being punished?” I tease, pressing the heel in more.

“Nngh~! My love, darling… _aannngh~…_” Julian groans as I press the heel into his nipple. Just as usual, his cock springs to life again.

“There’s my slutty Julian.” I purr, dragging my foot down his torso. “You just can’t get enough, can you?”

“Please… oh!” He jumps under me when he feels the boot go lower, resting on his pelvis. I put some weight on it, though not as much since there was less meat there.

“Please, what?” I slide the heel closer to his groin.

“Mmm!” He tries to hold still, breathing heavily. “I-I had no idea…”

“About what?” The heel is barely touching his scrotum.

“That I drove you that crazy!” He shouts. “Honestly, I… I’m so thick unless it’s blatantly obvious… and yet, all I want is to please you! To… to _love_ you… I know I’m not making sense…”

“You do please me, Julian. And you don’t even have to try. You make me happy just by being here, walking through that door every day, smiling at me.” I reply. “I think you don’t see it because you can’t believe it.” A pause. “Am I right?”

“… Yes.” He looks to the side. I sigh loudly. “Hotaru?”

“All this time I should have been punishing you for another reason: being an idiot.” I carefully press the heel onto his testicles, and he gasps in shock. “I love you. I love everything about you. You are the smartest, kindest, sexiest and funniest man I’ve ever known. I want you and I need you. I can’t even bear the thought of you not being with me! Now you get that through your thick skull!” I’m near tears, pressing harder on his balls to get the point across. “Am I making myself clear?”

“Yes! Yes, Hotaru! I won’t ever doubt myself again!” He says sincerely.

“You better not.” I take my foot off of him, straddling him with my legs spread wide. “Now eat my pussy, Julian.”

“Oh, yes.” He gets up on his knees, grabs hold of my ass and immediately delves his tongue between my legs.

“Aaahh~…” My knees instantly get weak. I put one hand on the table for support and the other in his auburn tresses. His nose rubs against my clit as he sucks my pussy open, making naughty sounds that violate my ears. “Holy fuck… Julian… mmmph~…” He looks at me with glazed eyes, loving my taste and loving my reactions to his expert skills. “Fuck, fuck, _fuck_!” I didn’t want to come yet. I pushed Julian back to the floor, positioning myself over his hard, aching cock and shakily lowered myself onto it.

“AAANGH~…” We both moan at the same time. I ride him hard and fast, the two of us not thinking and just moving together. I kiss him and bite him everywhere I can while his big hands grab and caress me. “Julian… I love you… don’t you ever… question it!” I tell him between bites.

“I won’t… I won’t! I promise! I love you…!” He can’t hold back any longer and comes inside me.

“AAAH! JULIAN!” I come immediately after, squeezing around him. We hold each other tightly as we come down from our high, panting and sweating together.

“Oh… wow, that was… marvelous.” He exhales, smiling drunkenly. “You are a cruel mistress when you want to be.”

“Are you okay?” I ask, moving off of him and checking his body. God, I really did a number on him: hickeys, bites, some of them bleeding, welts from my nails, and bruises already from the heel of the boot. I’m sure his ass was still red and swollen from the slapping. I reach up to heal the bleeding bites.

“Wait!” Julian grabs my wrist. “Uh, before you do… I want to see.” He said shyly, wondering how I’d respond.

“Very well.” I raise my eyebrows in curiosity. We help each other stand and go to the bedroom to peer into the full-length mirror. He moans softly as he admires the afflictions on his own body. He turns around, gazing at his reddened ass in awe. His eyes catch mine in the reflection.

“You must find this strange, don’t you?” He asks.

“No.” I say honestly. “If I couldn’t handle all the things you were into, don’t you think I would have left you by now?”

“Oh, um… well…” He blushes.

“Julian, I knew you were a pervert since the second time you broke into my shop, asking to be patted down.” I smirk, sauntering over and wrapping my arms around him. “And I was just fine with that.”

“You are able to keep up with me and all my, ehm… desires…” He threads his fingers through my hair. “But my greatest desire is making you happy, and keeping you satisfied.”

“You do both of those things superbly, Julian.” I bring him down for a kiss.

“You do too, my love.” Julian says and kisses me again. “I love you, Hotaru.”

“I love you, too.”

:::

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this took so long. Been busy. Life happens, shit needs to get done, you know. Check out my other Julian story, as I hope to finish soon!


	6. The One with The Doctor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some dubious consent in this as well as hardcore smex. You have been warned.

The One With the Doctor and the Magician

:::

“Another Salty Bitters, Barth. Keep ‘em coming!” Julian laughs as he finishes another pint. It’s always amazing to me how well he can hold his liquor. I get sick after three, but this is his fifth. I haven’t seen him drink this much since way back when he dumped me when we first met. I’ve never seen him so drunk that he can’t remember what he did the night before, let alone get sick and vomit. “Ah, nothing like kicking back some drinks after a hard week.”

“You said it, babe.” I say, smiling at him. Barth comes over with a Salty Bitters for Julian, and a purple drink for me. “Oh no, I didn’t order anything…”

“Nah, the guy over there got this for ya.” Barth nods to this big, muscular man with pale blonde hair and eyebrows, who in return nods and waves to me. Julian’s eye widens in surprise. I just barely make eye contact with the guy, trying to be nice and smile back.

“Okay, not going to drink that…” I push the drink to the end of the booth. Julian turns around to look at the man, possibly shooting daggers with his eyes. “Stop looking at him! Don’t give him attention!” I whisper-shout.

“What in the actual hell does that guy think he’s doing?!” He huffs angrily. “Does he not see me?” He downs his whole drink in one gulp.

“I know, right?” I _am_ clearly with someone, so why… “Ugh, he’s still looking.”

“I blame Barth, he started this.” Julian takes the purple drink and downs that, too. “Whoa, what the –hic- was in that?”

“Julian…” I say, concerned. “There’s no need to get so riled up.”

“Oh yeah? Have you seen that guy? He’s all muscular and chiseled, any woman’s type…” Julian was even angrier than before. What was in that drink? Was that guy trying to buy me the strongest beverage here so he could take me home and… “Just waltzing in here and trying to take the love of my life!”

“Aw, baby…” I reach across the table to take his hand. “He’s not taking me anywhere. Actually, I should take you home now… oh no…” The man was walking over to us. “He’s coming, just keep calm.”

“Hey.” The guy says in a deep voice. “Didn’t like the drink?”

“Uh, no, but my boyfriend did.” I say clearly, gesturing to Julian, who was seething with silent rage. It was actually… hot.

“Your boyfriend? I thought he was your gay brother, or something.” The man laughs, delusional in thinking he’s funny. Clearly he’s a foreigner and doesn’t understand how things work around here.

“Look, I’m clearly not interested. Please leave.” I start to get my magic ready in case he doesn’t listen.

“Come on, don’t you want to be with a real man?” He asks.

“A real man?” Neither of us noticed Julian standing up. The man turns to him. They were about the same height nose to nose. “A real man knows when to give up!”

“Then why don’t you go be a ‘real man’ somewhere else?” The man rears back his arm, about to throw a punch. Julian hits him first, a quick underhand jab right to the solar plexus, followed by a full punch to the face. The guy smashes against the nearby table, and the people sitting there get angry and start to fight.

“No!” Before it goes any further, I use my powers to freeze time in the bar. I grab Julian’s arm to break him from the curse. “Let’s get out of here!”

“What… What happened?” Julian never saw me use that trick before. I don’t have time to explain since it only lasts several seconds, so I just drag him out of the bar, running a couple blocks away so no one can see us. Malak screeches overhead. We were out of breath and full of adrenaline.

“Julian, are you okay? That was-!” I stop when he pushes me against the wall, hands on my shoulders and his knee between my legs. I let out a tiny squeal of surprise.

“That _man_…” He grinds his knee into my groin. “Isn’t a man at all! Trying to take what’s clearly mine…” His eye is dark and his lips quiver as he snarls. My God, what was in that drink? It’s turned him into a completely different person… or is it just amplifying the animal inside, the… very dominant animal. My mouth gets dry and I swallow hard. I’ve been wanting this. I love Julian with all my heart, but sometimes I just imagine him completely taking control of me, and I know he’s not like that, but… _He might be, deep down_… No, this is a terrible idea. Just take him home and… _This is my only chance_… “He thinks I’m not man enough for you?!”

“Y-Yes, that’s right, he didn’t.” I say, taking his hands. “Here, let’s go home, and you think about what that man said to you… and what you’re going to do about it.” I whisper suggestively. He’s silent on the way home, stumbling once in a while because he was so drunk with who knows what. I’m thinking that he might pass out when we get there, and then maybe we can put all of this behind us. But that part of me, the part that wants it rough… I felt like I was on fire the entire walk. I stumbled to open the door and close it behind us. I told Scout to shoo back to her room so we wouldn’t be bothered. As I lock the door, a big, leather-clad hand slams against it, centimeters away from my head. My knees get weak. He turns me around, gripping my shoulders again, tightly. He’s breathing heavily like some kind of beast, nostrils flared and teeth bared. “S-So… did you think about… mmph!” He pushes me against the door and kisses me hard, passionately… my toes are barely touching the floor. _Fuck, this is hot_… I think, absolutely lost in the kiss as he takes complete control. I want more, so much more; he pulls away.

“No one else can have you, ever. You’re mine, you said so. You said that I should never doubt myself and I’ll start right now.” That sounded like Julian; he’s still in there.

“Yes, Julian, please…” I smile, gripping his elbows. That’s all the consent he needs as he grins, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of flour. “Oh!” I squeal in delight, loving the manhandling. He carries me up the stairs to the bedroom, tossing me on the bed. He’s so sexy when he takes off his clothes. I stumble to take off mine, unable to look away from his now two-eyed stare. He climbs on the bed like a panther, takes my wrists and pins them over my head with one hand, and kisses me again, his tongue choking me. I fight back with mine as I feel his free hand lightly touch my sides and it tickles. He pulls away to bite my earlobe, neck, and shoulder, biting harder than he ever did before, some of those drawing blood. “Oh, Julian… _Doctor_…”

“Hm, Doctor… I like that.” He growls, his teeth bruising the skin of my breast. “What do you want the Doctor to do to you?”

“I want… to choke on your big cock, Doctor. Please.” I beg. He grins and lets go of me, flipping himself around so his cock was dangling in my face.

“Choke away, darling.” He says, lowering himself to my mouth. I arch my neck up to take the head into my mouth, fondling his balls with my fingers. He sighs pleasingly, moving himself down more to viciously bite my inner thighs.

“MMM!” I scream around him as he pinches my clit hard between his fingers. He massages it, not easing me into this at all, and fuck is it overstimulating. “Mmm~!” My clit throbs and it racks my lower half. I love it so much I can hardly stand it. I try to take as much of him in my mouth as I can, using my tongue and hands. His teeth move to my clit now, gently biting it while his hands dig into my thighs. I can’t hold it anymore and I come so hard my legs shake. When my throat contracts around his cock when I scream, he comes too, straight down my esophagus. I pull away and cough a little, trying to straighten myself out. He flips back around to face me, his smile positively devious. “Doctor…” I choke out, my vocal cords shot already.

“It seems I underestimated you, Hotaru. You can take pain really well.” He says, his long fingers one at a time curling around my neck.

“That’s what… I always tried to tell you…” I whisper, his fingers getting tighter. I take deep breaths and relax as he does it. “We both like pain, Doctor.”

“Yes…” He really likes me calling him that. He keeps the pressure while putting hickeys on my neck and chest. “You are so perfect, and mine. All mine…” Julian bites my earlobe. “No one else can please you the way I do.” He whispers in my ear and I shudder, my folds getting wet again. “No one knows your body like I do.” He slides his free hand between my legs, slipping a finger inside me very easily. “No one else can make you shake as you come.” Since the first finger went in so easy, he added the second, pumping them in and out vigorously. “No one _loves_ you like I do.” He presses them on my spot.

“Oh my God…” My eyes roll back and I grip the bedsheets. He is just giving me everything I want and it’s too incredible. “It’s true! I belong to you, no one else can love me but you, and I love you! Please, _please_ Doctor, love me, _fuck_ me.” He growls in my ear, and he suddenly flips me over on all fours.

“Since you asked so nicely…” He nudges his cock at my entrance. I moan lovingly as he enters me all the way. He’s so big and I feel him so deeply. We don’t use this position often so it feels different but wonderful. “Oh yes… Hotaru…”

“Julian, please… oh!” He slaps my ass.

“That’s Doctor to you.” Julian slaps my other cheek before grabbing my hips. “You’d better be ready.” He rears back and plunges into me, his hips pressing downwards.

“AH-AH-AH!” I yelp as he fucks me so hard and so fast. I can’t think about anything except his cock inside me, each thrust sending waves of pleasure through my body. I’m unable to form any words and I don’t even have the energy to hold myself up by my elbows anymore. He found my G-spot when I did that, and I scream in ecstasy, tightening around him.

“Yes, Hotaru! Keep squeezing me, and keep calling me Doctor.” Julian slaps my ass again, going as fast as he can, hitting that spot every time.

“F-FUCK! DOCTOR! AAAHHH!” I scream, about to orgasm as I squeeze him and yell ‘Doctor’ with all the strength I could muster. “DOCTOR, DOCTOR!” I come hard, toes curling, legs shaking and muscles weakening. He comes soon after, with me feeling how hot it was even though I could no longer feel my lower half. I relax on the bed, but only for a few seconds, before my leg is grabbed and thrown over Julian’s shoulder. He still has fire in his eyes.

“Oh, we’re not done.” He grins, licking his teeth. “But you can relax; I’ll take care of everything.”

“OOO!” I squeal as he dives between my legs, drinking our combined fluids with absolutely no shame. This was going to be a long, hot, overstimulating, and glorious night.

:::

‘The Doctor’ finally crashes a few hours later, passing out on top of me. I push him over to his side of the bed so we can cool off. He only slept for about an hour before jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom to vomit. He’s never done that before; he said he’s been able to hold his liquor since he was a teenager. That drink was damn poison, turning Julian into another person and breaking his ‘liquor-holding’ streak. I helped him through it, getting him a cold compress for his neck and face and another for his wrist. Scout helps too, licking Julian’s hand for comfort. He seemed to be himself again, at least, apologizing for me having to see that and for whatever else he thinks he’s done. He didn’t seem to notice the bruises and bites he’s left on me, however. I guide him back to bed and we get a few more hours of sleep before morning.

I wake up in the morning to an empty bed. That’s normal for most days, since Julian’s an early riser and I’m not, but I thought he’d still be crashed beside me. I got up, _real_ slowly because my everything hurt, put on my robe and headed to the kitchen for tea. Julian sat at the little table with his coffee, rubbing the bridge of his nose. I come up behind him and kiss his neck. “Morning, Julian.”

“Oh, m-morning.” He was jittery. “Could you speak quieter? My head is throbbing.”

“I was already whispering, but okay.” I get the tea kettle, fill it with water, and place it on the stove. “So, first hangover in a while, hm?”

“Yes… instead of coffee I have a good old-fashioned hangover remedy.” He says. “It tastes terrible, but it gets rid of the pain quick. God, what happened to me last night?” He puts his head in his hands.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” I ask, waking up the salamander.

“I’m not sure if it actually happened but… I think I… punched a guy? And then time stopped.”

“Both of those things actually happened.” I finish brewing my tea and sit with my love. “To save us from further incident, I slowed down time in the bar to escape.”

“That’s a new trick.” He was impressed. “Ugh, I remember that man, what a…” He pauses, seeing the bite marks on my neck. “Hey, that guy, he didn’t…!”

“No! He didn’t touch me. But you did… a lot.” I wiggle my eyebrows. Julian just gazed at me, confused. “You really don’t remember at all, huh?” I get up, sauntering around the table and slowly took my robe off. Julian gasps, jaw dropping. “Whatever was in that purple drink turned you into an animal, and you debauched me last night.” I look down at myself; I am truly a mess and I don’t care. “I can see why you like looking at them on yourself…” When I look up, he’s crying huge crocodile tears. “Julian?! What’s wrong?”

“I did that to you?!” He cries, his full of horror and guilt. “Oh no, I would never… I’m so sorry…”

“No, Julian, no!” I climb onto his lap, hugging him. “It’s okay, I wanted it to happen. I consented to it…” I realize something very important. I might have consented, but technically he didn’t. “Oh God, _I’m_ the one that should be sorry. I shouldn’t have let that happen! You weren’t in the right mind and I-I took advantage!” I never felt so guilty before. Now it was my turn to cry. “I’m sorry, baby. I let my baser instincts get the best of me, not even caring about how you’d feel about it! I should’ve… I should’ve…”

“No, Hotaru, my love… it’s okay, really…” He cradles me in his arms, and we stay like this for several minutes just feeling sorry for ourselves. “Let’s just never have drunk sex, okay? It doesn’t seem to work out.”

“No, especially when you throw up afterwards.” I sniffle.

“Oh, really? Sorry for that.”

“Again, not your fault.” I look him in the eyes. “We should talk to Barth and tell him not to give us drinks from strangers.”

“Yeah.” Julian strongly agreed. “That wacky drink turned me into a completely different person.”

“Yes… he liked to be called ‘The Doctor’.” I snort.

“So… you liked what the uh, ‘Doctor’ did?” He asks in a squeaky voice.

“I did.” I reply in a guilty tone. “I like pain, and to be the sub sometimes, you know? I’m a switch, so I like both domming and subbing. I know that domming isn’t your thing, and that’s why I didn’t want the opportunity to slip me by last night.”

“Darling, I didn’t know. I wish you would have told me.” He weaves his fingers through my hair. “My biggest pleasure is pleasing you. I’ll do anything you want me to do.”

“Thanks, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“It’ll be no problem, as long as we communicate. We’ll let each other know if we’re uncomfortable.” His expression changes into a sly lady-killer smile. “Besides, I’ll take it as a challenge.”

“A challenge to be dom?” I laugh. “We’ll see.”

“Hey, I can do it! I’ll show you, when you’re healed of course… and when you least expect it!” He says, tickling my sides. “‘The Doctor’ will get you, once again!” He kisses the hickeys on my neck.

“Oh no, I’m so scared!” I laugh harder, almost falling off his lap. We keep laughing until Scout comes in from outside, asking me for food. I’m so glad we were able to use this as a learning experience for the both of us, and that no one’s feelings were hurt. We won’t be making any mistakes like this ever again.

:::

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I’m doing two stories about Julian & Hotaru at once… which I’ve never done before. Have fun with me, everyone!


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